AnhKhanh

after parking the car in the garage and turning it off, I inspected the car's brake because I thought it made a strange sound while I was driving (turned out to be nothing btw), but after repeatedly pressing and depressing the brake (while the car was turned off), the brake suddenly became completely stiff, to the point where I couldn't even press it down, I tried to solve this problem by turning the car on (the e-brake was on) but the brake was still stiff as a board and even worse my "brake" light and "service engine soon" light both lite up when I turned the car on. I'm at a loss.

LegitMW

iTrader: (6)

That's normal. Every cars like that when you press out all the air...as soon as you turn it on it'll be "unstiff"

EDIT: Oh my bad. Didn't know it was like that with the car on.

AnhKhanh

yeh when I turned the car on (in park), the brake is still stiff. I don't know if the brake is still working or not so im not gonna be ballsy and shift to a gear other than park until i understand the situation a bit better.

RX Law

Sorry for the title, but you are not supposed to pump you brakes with the car off. Is that not common knowledge?? Im no expert. They are hydraulic (or something like that, some tech geek please correct me). Basically - the brake system opperates under power - much like power steering. This power is provided when the engine is running. You know that stuff called brake fluid?? When you pump the brake, it pressurizes and is shot down brake lines to assist your foot in squeezing the pad against the rotor. Without it, braking would be akin to Fred Flinstone's method. When the car is off, the system does not work. Thats why it got stiff. You had no power, aka car was off, the system was not working. This would happen to any car with power brakes. I hazzard a guess that it has something to do with the system not being able to de-pressurize itself. When you turn the car back on - they will release. Well they should, as this has happened to me (and im sure others) in accident. no big deal.

Unless you hammered away at your stiff brake, Bravo - you broke something. All you needed to do was turn car back on.

AnhKhanh

no i didnt hammer away, i pressed my brakes up and down easily until it was stiff. And like I said before, when I turned the car back on the brake was still stiff, and is.

Okita240

I'm sorry but who said you're not suppose to pump your brakes while your car is turned off? That is one of the ways to bleed your brake lines. Don't call someone an idiot if you don't know what you're talking about.

OP, it is normal for your brakes to stiffen after pumping with your car turned off. But it is not normal when your brakes are stiff even after turning your car back on. It sounds like your have a low brake fluid.

AnhKhanh

after letting the car rest a bit i can turn it on fine now with no blinking indicator lights.

RX Law

Yes, if you are bleeding your brake lines. Go back and read, asked him if he hammered the brake with car off. Obviously the events are related. I am not sure if you can damage the booster system this way, but it appears this user has. You should not pump brakes with car off, you use up the vacum and make system work harder. ITs a wear and tear principle.

Low brake fluid = soft brake pedal BTW. Not firm. Your fluid is likely fine. the pedal is stiff because you have lost brake assist. AKA system is not working.

When you start car, engine vacuum adds force to the brake pedal via the brake booster, pedal will go down, and feel much softer, until you reach max pressure. Brake booster reduces required pedal effort, so it feels completely different when car is off compared to on.

Your booster is not working it seems.

RX Law

Still stiff?

G37CPA

If still stiff after 4 hours, call your doctor.